Super Eagles stand-in captain William Ekong has now named his teammates who helped him in his decision not to quit the national team prior to the 2023 AFCON in Cote d’Ivoire.
The PAOK of Greece defender had considered hanging his boots in the Super Eagles after a disagreement with coach José Paseiro.
The 30-year-old Ekong was not called up for games against Sao Tome and Principe as well as the friendlies against Mozambiqu and Saudi Arabia and this made him rethink his national team future.
“I spoke with some of the players I’ve been with for a longer time,” he told CNN.
“For example, Alex Iwobi, Leon Balogun, and they all said they thought it would be a real shame, and they felt like I have a lot more to give, which made me think about my younger self, how much it meant, and how proud I was to make play my first game under Stephen Keshi in 2015.
“And I deserve to give my younger self a better ending. So, that was the thing that changed my mind really.”
Ekong went on to be named the MVP of the AFCON.